Common Causes of Hearing Loss

Contrary to popular belief, hearing loss is not an inevitable part of growing older and you should be able to enjoy all the sounds of life for many decades. Hearing loss can be caused by many different factors. Whether you have hereditary hearing loss, damage from overexposure to loud noises, an untreated medical condition, or another cause, knowing the cause and type of loss improves your ability to treat it.

Hearing loss can be divided into three main categories: Sensorineural, conductive, and mixed hearing loss. These categories are further broken down into the typical causes of hearing loss within each category.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss is the most common type of hearing loss. It typically involves damage to either the auditory nerve, the inner ear, or the tiny hairs that catch and transmit sound waves known as steriocilia. This type of hearing loss has several causes, with the most well-known causes being long-term exposure to dangerous levels of noise and deterioration of the inner ear due to aging. Other causes of sensorineural hearing loss include Meniere’s Disease, diseases of the blood vessels, infections such as measles or meningitis, and several autoimmune diseases. Tumors, head trauma, and certain medications can also cause this type of hearing loss, and the deterioration can often occur quickly. Proper diagnosis is important, as underlying diseases may otherwise continue to accelerate hearing loss.

Conductive Hearing Loss

Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is an issue preventing sound from traveling effectively from the outer ear to the middle ear canal to the inner ear and auditory nerve. This sort of hearing loss is often caused by physical damage and is treatable with hearing aids or surgery.

Common causes of conductive hearing loss are ear infections, chronic untreated allergies, fluid in the middle ear, and impacted ear wax. Other reasons for this type of hearing loss include, but are not limited to, benign tumors, perforated eardrums, foreign objects in the ear, and physical malformation of the outer or middle ear canal.

Some of these causes, such as a perforated ear drum or foreign object in the ear, can cause both severe pain and sudden hearing loss. If you experience severe pain or a sudden loss in hearing, contact a medical professional immediately.

Mixed Hearing Loss

Mixed hearing loss occurs when both conductive and sensorineural hearing loss are present. This means that you might have both damage to your outer ear and to your inner ear or auditory nerve. Mixed hearing loss can occur for several reasons, but it can often be related to some sort of trauma to the ear. One sort of hearing loss can lead to another resulting in hearing loss caused from multiple sources. Consider someone who has Meniere’s disease and eventually develops tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears that drowns out normal sounds. A less common cause of mixed hearing loss is otosclerosis. Otosclerosis, a hereditary disease, occurs when there is bone overgrowth around the bones in your middle ear canal. This overgrowth prevents the bones from vibrating with sound, and passing the sound into the inner ear. Otosclerosis can be categorized as both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss, and can be treated effectively with both hearing aids and surgery.

Knowing why you are not able to hear clearly is an important part of correcting your hearing. Our hearing specialists at Colorado Ear Center will look into all of the potential causes of your hearing loss so that we can start you on the path to better hearing!

Related posts:

How to Choose the Right Audiologist

Audiologists have chosen a career that is both daunting in its responsibility and rewarding in its ability to transform lives. Audiologists help people uncover why they no longer hear everyday sounds and help bring those sounds and noises back to people who have often resigned themselves to a world of silence. Audiologists can change lives in a dramatic fashion.

A New Year of Hearing

It happened again. As the holidays approached, you found yourself overwhelmed with all of the holiday hustle and bustle. Between trimming the tree, buying gifts, and endless parties, your intention to finally see someone about your hearing issues got lost in the shuffle. Making an appointment with an audiologist kept getting pushed to the next day’s list, until you realized that you have let another year pass without taking care of your hearing loss.

Healthy Hearing for the New Year

New Year’s Day is upon us, along with all of the resolutions that we make. Even if you publicly say that you refuse to make resolutions, you probably intend to be healthier in 2017. If you do make resolutions, there is a good chance that they involve health, whether you want to lose weight, exercise more, lower your blood pressure, or anything else pertaining to improving your health. As you think about living a healthier lifestyle, have you considered your ears and your hearing? If taking care of your hearing is not on your list of New Year’s resolutions, consider making it one of them. Take action immediately, both to correct any uncorrected hearing loss and to take better care of your hearing now.

Blog Categories

"Before my hearing aids I was having difficulty at work following along. I was always having conversations clarified for me, now I am much more relaxed in meetings as I am able to fully participate. I would definitely come back in the future when ever I need Dr. Menachof's and Kristi's assistance."

~ David - Lakewood, CO

"My hearing aids and Dr. Menachof have completely transformed my life. I didn’t realize how many things I was not hearing, like the turn signal of my car, or a brush going through my hair. I had a lot of ear infections when I was a child, and back then you didn’t go to the doctor every time. I was aware of Dr. Menachof and knew his reputation as being one of the best, as well as a super nice guy. I was looking for someone I could trust and he and his great staff are definitely that. Thanks Dr. M."

~ Kristy - Littleton, CO

"I knew I had a hearing loss when it was harder and harder to feel comfortable in a restaurant, or I couldn’t hear the Father speak in church. I wanted to save money so I checked into Costco as I knew they did hearing aids. It was the worst experience, there was noise all around when they were testing me, it didn’t feel medical at all. Then I found out a friend of mine bought from Costco and now they are in a drawer. It felt so different with Kristi. It was a comfortable medical office, they answered all my questions and really helped me with my hearing issues. I will always go back in the future, it feels good here."

~ Sybil - Aurora, CO

"I sure would be in a heck of a predicament with out my hearing aids. I was just the other day in a restaurant at a meeting and I could hear the guy at the other end of the table. It was great. I appreciate all that Kristi, the audiologist and Dr. Menachof have done for me. I came here because I knew I would get the kind of service and medical attention I needed for my hearing loss. I will always come back if I need help."